Page 97 of Dark Obsession

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Deputy Alberti wasn’t doing much to help, but Cody liked having Alberti behind him, preventing any sneak attacks. Cody kept pumping his water rifle, turning side to side, spraying everything that moved. His final, withering stream connected with a woman Gayle was facing off with, and the vampire jerked in pain. Gayle took advantage of the distraction, pressing her gun against the woman’s chest and shooting her in the heart. Afterwards, Gayle made a face at him as she shook the remains from her hand.

The fire just two storefronts away was louder now, chewing through wood, plastic, and fabrics, melting aluminum framework. Every now and then glass shattered, and the shouts of more firefighters announced the arrival of another new squad from a neighboring city. Cody hoped they were keeping the vampires occupied and no more of the firefighters went missing.

Deputy Rockford suddenly cried out from somewhere behind Cody, and he felt Alberti move away. Turning, Cody watched Alberti go up behind the vampire holding Rockford and jump on his back, wrapping an arm around the throat of the other deputy’s attacker. The vampire kept his hold on Rockford, but started turning in a circle, dragging both deputies along with him as he stomped across the diner. He’d dropped his chin in an effort to bite Alberti’s arm, his fangs flashing in the revolving red lights from outside.

“For fuck’s sake,” Cody said.

He tossed the empty water rifle aside and ran after the three of them, pulling a garlic bulb from his pocket. When the vampire faced him again, he said, “Hey, fuck face.”

The vampire jerked his head up, mouth still open in the midst of an attempted bite, and Cody jammed the bulb inside. Smoke poured from his mouth, and the stench of burning flesh made him retreat, waving his hand to clear the air as the deputies scrambled away. The vampire lunged for Cody, grabbing him by the throat and pushing him to the other side of the room. His back hit the counter and he felt the scrape as the vampire stretched him out across the top. He gasped and wheezed, gripping the cold hands and struggling to draw breath as the vampire’s grip tightened, red eyes blazing through the smoke still rising from his mouth.

A jolt ran through the vampire’s body, extending through the fingers around Cody’s throat. They tightened briefly before the man splashed across him and the floor. It was cold and thick, and Cody coughed and gasped in air as his head dropped back onto the counter. When he lifted his head, he found Demmy standing there, holding what looked like a broken mop handle in both hands.

“You okay?” Demmy asked.

“Yeah.” Cody coughed again as he eased off the counter. His feet slid apart in the mess and he clutched the edge of the counter. It was slick as well, and his hand went sliding away. If Demmy hadn’t grabbed his elbow, Cody would have ended up on his ass. After stepping out of the slime, he looked Demmy over. “You all right?”

“I am.” Demmy took in the action around them. “Marlowe’s here.”

“She is?” Cody did a quick scan and saw her fighting off three vampires. She looked like she was holding her own, but he didn’t know how long that could last.

“Everyone’s handling things out here,” Demmy said. “We need to find Zenona and Bastian.”

“Gotta be the kitchen, right?” Cody said.

“Probably.”

“What weapons do we have besides your improvised spear? My water gun is out.”

Demmy turned his back and lifted his shirt to expose the gun stuck into his shorts.

“Damn, you are one hot action movie hero. Will you marry me?”

Demmy shot a smile over his shoulder then lifted a finger sticky with vampire blood and stuck it in his mouth. Demmy’s eyes popped open wide, his pupils expanding so much his irises were nearly eclipsed. When Demmy slowly dragged his finger out between his lips, Cody’s cock took notice.

“I figure a bump is in order to deal with the level boss,” Demmy said.

Cody swiped a finger through the mess on the counter. He swirled his tongue around the finger before sticking it in his mouth and sucking it clean. A jolt went through him, a zing like the time he’d accidentally touched the wires while changing out a light switch years ago. Then a cool detachment took over, as if he’d stepped back from himself and could see the whole room in a glance. Demmy practically glowed before him. With a grin, Cody lifted his chin toward the kitchen door behind the opposite end of the counter.

“Let’s go.”

Demmy led the way, pausing a couple of times to jab his lance into the backs or sides of vampires squaring up with a member of their group. One was a direct hit, and the vampire shrieked before he collapsed, freeing up Gayle, who immediately went to Lucia’s side. The other vampire cried out and spun, reaching for Demmy. Cody smashed a garlic bulb into one of the vampire’s eyes, blinding him temporarily and allowing Demmy to stab him in the chest.

Seven vampires remained, and the others were dodging and striking and covering each other. Marlowe had just finished taking out the final one of the trio she’d been facing off with. Cody followed Demmy behind the counter to the kitchen’s swinging door where they paused. Holding up his improvised weapon, Demmy slowly shouldered the door open and stepped through.

Cody had never been in the kitchen before. Bastian’s attack must have happened while the crew had been busy cooking meals. Two gas burners were at full blast on the stovetop across the room, and heat shimmered above the flat surface of the griddle. A long stainless steel workstation was between the cooking stations and the pass through counter, with shelves open on both sides for the cooks to set plates for the waitstaff to pick up. Three plates sat waiting, the mashed potatoes on one a congealed glob.

Cody heard soft crying from the far end of the room. He carefully made his way toward the large stainless steel sink and old-fashioned countertop-style commercial dishwasher at that end, a garlic bulb in each hand. Vicki Downing sat wedged into a corner, knees pulled to her chest and her arms wrapped around her shins. Her hair was loose from the usual ponytail and hung down, hiding her face as she pressed it against her knees.

“Vicki?” Cody looked around before squatting beside her. “Vicki, it’s Cody. Are you hurt? Can you get up?”

She turned her head to look at him, her blue eyes swimming with tears and a bruise coming up on her temple.

“He made me invite them in.” The words were a choked, stuttering whisper. “He said he’d do things to me, to my family. Terrible things. I had to…” A sob stopped her words.

“It’s okay. It’s not your fault. Demmy and I are here, we’ll protect you.”